Vox Solicits Reader Contributions to Keep Its Content Free Amid Ad Declines

The near-simultaneous rush among publishers with subscription businesses to loosen their paywalls and provide free access to reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic has reignited long-standing debates about whether the news should fundamentally be free, even as ad-supported journalism (with some exceptions) becomes an increasingly difficult proposition. This week, rather than erecting a paywall, Vox says it's looking to make up for declines in its advertising business by soliciting contributions from those readers who can afford it, in order to preserve free access to its journalism for those who can't. "Our dedicated team of journalists has boundless ambitions—and feels a great sense of responsibility—to bring you more of our distinctive coverage, in new and different ways, and to continue doing so for free," wrote editor-in-chief Lauren Williams and executive editor Allison Rockey in a note to readers Wednesday afternoon. "But even with record audience growth, the media business is not immune to the effects of economic downturns. In fact, right now, when audiences need quality, accessible journalism the most, ad revenue is on the decline as companies move to save money and shrink their marketing budgets." While not a tax-deductible charitable donation, Vox says recurring or one-off contributions, ranging from $7 to $250, will help support its science explainers, its coverage of the challenges being faced by the U.S. health care system and its YouTube and Facebook videos... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-04-10 16:17:19 UTC ]
News tagged with: #caption id= #subscription model #apple news+ #york magazine #media industry

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Rising above the listicle: What makes a good native ad

The upcoming Digiday Content Marketing Awards include a category for best publishing native advertising program. We asked presenters from our upcoming Digiday Publishing Summit to offer their insights on what makes effective native ads.The post Rising above the listicle: What makes a good native... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK mobile advertising set to overtake newspaper ad revenue in 2014

New eMarketer research forecasts mobile ad spend to top £2bn this year, and for total digital media to reach £9bn by 2017UK mobile advertising spend is forecast to top £2bn and overtake newspaper ad revenue for the first time in 2014, according to new research.Total digital media advertising... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advertising spend #steepest drop #market share


Flipboard Acquires CNN's Zite for $60 Million in Bid to Consolidate Reader Market

Flipboard, an app that displays digital media in magazine-like form on tablets, is acquiring one of its smaller competitors, Zite, for a reported $60 million.As part of the deal, Flipboard will get direct access to all CNN content, including video, as well as CNN personalities like Fareed... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #direct access #including video #jake tapper #purchase price


How to Upload Public Domain Books Straight to Your Kindle — For Free

If you're looking for digital versions of older books to download, check out Project Gutenberg first. The site is filled with stuff that has lapsed into the public domain, which means it's free.     Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital versions #project gutenberg #public domain


Vook Debuts Free E-book Sales Tracking Service

Vook, a digital publishing and distribution platform, is launching Author Control, a new data service that allows authors and publishers to track ebook sales and unit downloads across every major retail channel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing #distribution platform #data service


Boot Up: free the river!, 'real work', GS5 rumours v reality, and more

Plus Douglas Adams on advertising, 'paper' currencies, Acer on Windows Phone, and moreA quick burst of 8 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology teamRiver level data must be open >> Climate Code FoundationNick Barnes has seen his home flooded for the second time in a month:... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #@gdntech


Barnes & Noble Q3 Revenues Decline 10.3%

Barnes & Noble reports that consolidated revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2014 decreased 10.3% to $2 billion from the same period in the previous fiscal year. Third quarter EBITDA increased from $59 million a year ago to $173 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$2 billion


New Light on Lent: Books Help Readers See Anew

During the Lenten season Christians are urged to more deliberately contemplate Christ’s suffering and death. But traditional observances, such as penance and fasting, all too often produce dour expressions instead of spiritual fruits. Three new books hope to resurrect the joyful side of this... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If Native Advertising Is So Harmless, Why Does It Rely on Misleading Readers?

The devil walks into a bar and sits at a table with eight newspaper and magazine publishers plus one strange little fellow in shabby, dated robes. The devil says, "How'd you all like to get some advertising revenue at higher rates t ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #native advertising #magazine publishers #higher rates


If native advertising is so harmless, why does it rely on misleading readers? | Bob Garfield

It's hard to read the latest gimmick for infusing a dying industry with cash as anything other than journalism selling its soulThe devil walks into a bar and sits at a table with eight newspaper and magazine publishers plus one strange little fellow in shabby, dated robes. The devil says, "How'd... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #deal offers


Independent bookshops in decline as buying habits change

Booksellers Association calls in celebrity support for Books Are My Bag campaign after more than 500 closures since 2005The number of independent bookshops gracing British high streets has fallen below 1,000 – a third fewer than nine years ago, amid cut-throat competition from supermarkets,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #growing power #bigger problem #tiny part #major part


The Way Publishers Cash In Twitter Referrals Now (Hint: More Ads)

Much bandwidth has been consumed discussing the effects of Facebook's recent algorithm change to favor sites offering "high quality" content. It's been said to hurt viral sites like Upworthy -- a notion the site's founders have denied -- while rewarding other publishers including Mental... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #high quality #make money


Pocklington Post makes a virtue of parish pump stories written by readers

Pocklington - nicknamed Pock - is a small market town in the Yorkshire Wolds, about 13 miles (or 21 kms) from the city of York.Its population of 8,337 is served by a weekly newspaper, the Pocklington Post, which was chosen by its owner, Johnston Press, to pioneer the publishing of user generated... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online subscriptions


The Borribles, once infamous children's books, reissued for 21st-century readers

Considered too inflammatory to publish in the wake of 1980s UK riots, these tales of anarchic runaways are to be re-released as ebooksMichael de Larrabeiti's classic stories of anarchic, pointy-eared street children the Borribles, which were judged to be so lawless in the 1980s that their... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big city #making good


Meredith’s latest mobile ad strategy: rewards for taps

Meredith, like many publishers, is still trying to figure out how to effectively make money on mobile. Its latest strategy: “gamify” its mobile apps. The publisher has inked a one-year deal with Kiip, an ad tech startup that serves users branded “rewards” in exchange for completing certain... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile apps #post meredith #publishing partners


Shares Don't Mean Content is Being Read

Earlier this month, there was yet another lengthy public debate about Upworthy, the two-year-old publisher that has become one of the most popular sites on Facebook due to its knack for overselling its bite-size content with "curiosity gap" h ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #popular sites #facebook due


Reader's Digest sold for £1

Mike Luckwell buys struggling title from Jon Moulton's private equity company, Better Capital, with plan to target over-50sReader's Digest has been sold for just £1 to Mike Luckwell, whose previous major investments have included Bob the Builder creator HIT Entertainment and WPP.Jon Moulton's... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #late 1980s #biggest shareholder #early 1960s #global circulation


Fashion magazines reap the benefit of print – but there have to be enough ads

As new high-end glossy Porter launches, the appetite for digital versions of titles does not seem to have mass appealMagazine publishers see Thursday's ABC figures as a step forward. For the first time they managed to convince the bureau to add the circulation figures for their digital editions... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Angry Birds Maker Hatches In-Game Video Ad Plan

Angry Birds is getting ready to introduce in-game digital video ads in an expansion of its advertising products that the company will unveil soon, according to Michele Tobin, Rovio’s head of advertising. Tobin told Adweek today that the company’s games provide premium inventory for video... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #video ads #mobile video


Bookstore Sales Decline Slowed in 2013

Bookstore sales fell to $13.19 billion in 2013, down 1.6% compared to 2012, according to preliminary estimates released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #6% compared #census bureau